Were you so busy surfing the web for cool gift ideas that you totally forgot to do any actual shopping? If so, there’s no need to fret because we’ve got you covered with a last-minute gift guide full of clever and imaginative presents that can be whipped up at the 11th hour . Check out all of our ideas – from a basket full of practical presents they’re sure to appreciate to the ever-elusive gift of closet organization and this foolproof crowd-pleaser . LAST MINUTE GIFT IDEAS >

Comments Off on Trump signs bill that recognizes climate change as a threat to the US

This past Tuesday, President Trump signed a bill into law that formally recognizes climate change as a national security threat to the United States . While the president has long railed against climate change and advocated for fossil fuels, the Trump Administration and a Republican-controlled Congress have taken a small but significant step towards formally recognizing climate change. Now that this stance has become codified law, the United States will be further pressured to act. The newly signed law is a hard-earned result of the bipartisan organizing done by the Climate Solutions Caucus. Established in February 2016, the caucus was founded by Democratic Congressman Ted Deutch and Republican Congressman Carlos Curbelo “to educate members on economically-viable options to reduce climate risk and to explore bipartisan policy options that address the impacts, causes, and challenges of our changing climate.” Currently, there are 24 Democrats and 24 Republicans who serve as members of the caucus. The climate change provision reached the president’s desk as an amendment to the must-pass, annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Republican leadership attempted to remove the provision from the bill, but were defeated when 46 Republican representatives defected and voted to uphold the provision. Related: Trump signs directive to send astronauts to the Moon and Mars It requires the Pentagon to conduct a report on the specific vulnerabilities of American military assets to climate change over the next twenty years. In addition, the amendment formally recognizes what the scientific community and the United States military has been saying for years. “Climate change is a direct threat to the national security of the United States,” reads the law, “and is impacting stability in areas of the world where the United States armed forces are operating today, and where strategic implications for future conflicts exist.” Since Trump made national security a key plank of his campaign platform, he will be under further pressure to act. Whether the president chooses to do so remains doubtful. Via EcoWatch Images via The White House (1)

Comments Off on Laser-driven fusion energy leaves no radioactive waste – and it’s within reach

Dramatic advances in lasers could get us closer to fusion energy . An international team of 11 scientists is pursuing what was once thought to be impossible, according to the University of New South Wales (UNSW): fusion power with hydrogen-boron reactions. The researchers describe this in their recently published study as the ideal clean fusion process: the technique needs no radioactive fuel elements and doesn’t leave toxic radioactive waste. Could we be closer to better fusion energy? The world for decades has pursued igniting the heavy hydrogen isotopes deuterium (D) and tritium (T). But generated neutrons from DT fusion produce radioactive waste. The researchers in their paper suggest an alternative: fusing hydrogen with the boron isotope 11. And lasers could help make this hydrogen-boron fusion possible. Related: ‘We were blown away’ – researchers eliminate obstacle to fusion energy Instead of heating fuel to the Sun’s temperature with “massive, high-strength magnets to control superhot plasmas inside a doughnut-shaped toroidal chamber,” according to UNSW, scientists can reach hydrogen-boron fusion with rapid bursts from two powerful lasers. This process requires temperatures and densities 200 times hotter than the Sun’s core – but advances in laser technology may have reached the point where the two-laser approach actually could be viable. Study lead author Heinrich Hora of UNSW, who in the 1970s predicted it might be possible to fuse hydrogen and boron without needing thermal equilibrium, said in a statement, “I think this puts our approach ahead of all other fusion energy technologies.” HB11 Energy , a spin-off company in Australia, holds the patents. Managing director Warren McKenzie said in a statement, “From an engineering perspective, our approach will be a much simpler project because the fuels and waste are safe, the reactor won’t need a heat exchanger and steam turbine generator, and the lasers we need can be bought off the shelf…If the next few years of research don’t uncover any major engineering hurdles, we could have a prototype reactor within a decade.” The journal Laser and Particle Beams published the research online this week. Scientists at institutions in Israel, Spain, Germany, the United States, China, and Greece contributed. + HB11 Energy Via the University of New South Wales Images via Pixabay and HB11 Energy

We Inhabitat editors have been hard at work for the last few weeks scouring the internet for our favorite ethical and eco-friendly holiday gifts so that you can sit back, relax and shop the green way (from the comfort of your own computer) with our 2015 GREEN HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE ! This year’s guide is filled with a bevy of eco-conscious presents that everyone on your list will love, and for those of you who choose to avoid consumerism altogether, we’ve got clever DIY tutorials for goodies you can make yourself and buy-nothing gifts of time . So get comfy, down some coffee, and get a head start on your holiday shopping here . GIFTS THAT GIVE BACK > GIFTS OF TIME > GREEN GIFTS UNDER $20 > GREEN GIFTS UNDER $50 > MAKE YOUR OWN GIFTS > ECO GIFTS FOR HER > ECO GIFTS FOR HIM > GREEN GIFTS FOR MOM AND DAD > GREEN GIFTS FOR TOTS > ECO GIFTS FOR BIG KIDS > GREEN GIFTS FOR THE HOME > GIFTS FOR THE GREEN THUMB > GREEN GADGET GIFTS > COZY KNIT GIFTS > GREEN JEWELRY GIFTS > CUSTOMIZED GIFTS > HEIRLOOM GIFTS >

Comments Off on Last Minute Green Holiday Gift Guide: DIY Gifts, Gifts of Time and More!

With Hanukkah currently taking place and Christmas eve just one day away, we’re officially down to the gift-giving wire! If you haven’t had much time to chip away at your holiday list, or have simply been slacking off, don’t despair — there are still plenty of fun and meaningful last-minute gifts that you can give your friends and family this holiday! So breathe a sigh of relief – because we’ve rounded up all the best last minute green gift ideas from our Green Holiday Gift Guide . From DIY guides that teach you how to make a bath mat from recycled wine bottle corks , to gifts of time like offering to babysit your friends’ kids , to a stack of design books brimming with ideas to be used year round — we’ve got you covered! But best of all? Many of these gifts don’t require dropping big bucks. In fact, more than a few won’t even cost you a cent! Last Minute Gifts of Time > Last Minute Gifts You Can Make Yourself > Last Minute Book Gifts > Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: cheap green gifts , eco-gifts , green gift guide , green gifts , green gifts for dad , green gifts for guys , Green gifts for kids , green gifts for mom , green gifts for pets , green gifts for the family , green gifts for women , inhabitat gift guide , Inhabitat green gift guide , Inhabitat Green Gift Guide 2011 , Inhabitat’s 2011 Green Holiday Gift Guide , last minute gifts , Last minute Green Gift Guide , last minute green gifts” title=”Last minute Green Gift Guide , sustainable gifts

Comments Off on Get Your Holiday Shopping Done Early with Our Green Gift Guide!

Thanksgiving is coming up quick in less than a week, which means that time is ticking away before Black Friday hits and the insanity of the holiday shopping season kicks into full gear. But you can skip all of the hassle and heartache of hitting the malls by getting all of your sustainable shopping done early with our Green Holiday Gift Guide ! It’s filled with stocking stuffers and eco-friendly gifts for mom and dad , boys and girls , new parents , him and her , tots , green thumbs , the home and even pets . Plus, don’t forget to check out our green gifts on a budget , the hottest green gadget gifts and homemade gift ideas you can whip up yourself